WEL is the third generation of the HVAC logging system that I originally designed for my Energy Efficient home in the mountains of western Maryland.  This latest version is designed specifically for other people who want to build their own monitoring system. 

Here's a brief look back at the evolution of the design.

	Dec 2005 The Third Generation of the system is now complete. The electronics have been re-designed with the sole purpose of letting others create their own thermal and power monitoring system.  All the functions have been condensed down onto a single 4.2" x 2.5" (110mm x 65mm) board, and the software has been re-vamped to provide the ultimate in user configurability.  Thus the "Web Energy Logger" was officially born.  I've also updated my Web Server so that any number of WEL's can report their data to create graphic system diagrams and charts.  Each WEL get's own web page that automatically catalogs all the generated images and data files. Check out the "How it works" page for a full description of the WEL's functions.
	Jan 2004 The Second Generation was a "from the ground up" redesign that moved the software from the PC to a small embedded processor.  I used a CPU core module from ZWorld in combination with some various adapters and interface components.  The result was much smaller, and infinitely more reliable. Another big change was that instead of displaying and logging the data locally (in the PC) it was all done remotely on an Internet web-site.  A System Diagram showing all the temperatures was re-created every minute, and a range of long-term trend charts were also generated.  These were all viewable at the public www.OurCoolHouse.com website.  Over the following two years, many more sensors were added, plus a Wattmeter to measure the power consumed by the HVAC system.
	March 2003 My First Generation system was a "Proof of Concept".  I installed 16 temperature sensors to monitor my Geothermal (Ground Source) Heat Pump, DHW and Radiant slab zones.  I cannibalized some existing software and installed it on an old Windows 95 PC  setup in my utility room.  This was a very crude system but it showed that the concept was workable.  However, like most old PC's, it wasn't very reliable.  Since I intended to monitor my system for many years, I needed a much more robust solution, so I moved on to the next step of the design.

The Web Energy Logger is an Internet Appliance designed to monitor a 1-wire sensor network, and post temperature and power data to a web site for display and analysis. WEL 3.3 was created specifically for people interested in monitoring their own homes or businesses. For more information, visit the WEL homepage. ©2000-2008 Phil Malone - - www.OurCoolHouse.com